How to Use Gemini in Gmail, Google Docs and Sheets
Gemini in Google Workspace is available to all Google accounts in 2026 — basic features are free, advanced features require Google One AI Premium ($19.99/month). In Gmail, Gemini can draft emails, summarise long threads, and suggest replies. In Google Docs, it helps write, rewrite, and summarise. In Google Sheets, it generates formulas and analyses data from natural language. Access it via the ‘Gemini’ button in the right sidebar of each app.
Getting Started: How to Access Gemini in Google Apps
Open any Google app (Gmail, Docs, Sheets) and look for the ‘Ask Gemini’ icon on the right side of the screen — it looks like a stylised star. Click it to open the Gemini sidebar. Some features appear inline in the toolbar (like ‘Help me write’ in Docs). Gemini features in Google apps are available on desktop browser and in the Google mobile apps on iOS and Android.
Features available on the free Google account: Help me write (Docs), basic Gemini sidebar access. Features requiring Google One AI Premium: Gemini in Gmail threads, full sidebar access across all Workspace apps, Gemini Advanced model access.
How to Use Gemini in Gmail
Drafting Emails
Open Gmail, click Compose, and look for the ‘Help me write’ button with the star icon at the bottom of the compose window. Click it and type a brief description: ‘Draft a polite follow-up email to a client who hasn’t responded to my invoice for two weeks.’ Gemini generates a full draft. Click ‘Refine’ to make it more formal, shorter, or to add specific details.
Summarising Long Email Threads
Open a long email thread and look for the ‘Summarise this email’ button at the top (requires AI Premium). Gemini reads the entire thread and produces a 3-5 sentence summary of what was discussed and what action is needed. Particularly useful for threads you’ve been CC’d on and need to catch up with quickly.
Drafting Replies
When reading an email, Gemini can suggest reply options. Look for ‘Reply with Gemini’ or use the Gemini sidebar (click the star icon) and describe the reply you want: ‘Write a reply thanking them for the proposal but asking for a 2-week extension to review it.’ Gemini drafts the reply while preserving context from the original email.
How to Use Gemini in Google Docs
Writing From Scratch
Create a new document. Click ‘Help me write’ at the top of the blank page (you’ll see a star icon and prompt field). Type what you want: ‘Write a 3-page project proposal for a website redesign project. Include project scope, timeline, and budget section headers.’ Gemini generates a complete draft with your specified structure.
Rewriting and Improving Existing Text
Select any text in your document. The Gemini sidebar appears with options: Elaborate, Summarise, Rephrase, or Ask Gemini to do something specific with the selection. Use this to expand a bullet-point outline into full paragraphs, simplify complex sections, or change the tone of a passage.
Asking Questions About Your Document
Open the Gemini sidebar (star icon) and ask it questions about your own document: ‘What are the three main arguments in this document?’, ‘Is there anything this proposal is missing?’, ‘Summarise the risks mentioned in this document.’ Gemini reads your document and answers in context — useful for reviewing long documents.
How to Use Gemini in Google Sheets
Generating Formulas
Click on a cell and open the Gemini sidebar. Ask for the formula you need in plain English: ‘Write a formula that calculates the average of column B only for rows where column A says Marketing’. Gemini generates the correct AVERAGEIF formula and inserts it. This is faster than looking up formula syntax and dramatically reduces formula errors.
Analysing Data
Select a range of data, open the Gemini sidebar, and ask analysis questions: ‘What is the trend in this sales data?’, ‘Which month had the highest revenue?’, ‘Create a summary of this data highlighting outliers.’ Gemini reads your data and produces a written analysis or automatically creates pivot tables and charts.
Generating Data From Templates
Ask Gemini to create a spreadsheet structure from scratch: ‘Create a content calendar template for a blog with columns for publish date, title, category, status, and author.’ Gemini generates the headers and example rows, saving the time of building templates manually.
Tips for Getting the Best Results
- ✅ Be specific in your prompts — ‘write a professional email’ gives worse results than ‘write a 3-sentence professional email declining a meeting request politely’
- ✅ Use ‘Refine’ options after initial generation — ‘make it shorter’, ‘make it more formal’, ‘add specific numbers’ all improve the output
- ✅ Use Gemini to review before you send — paste a draft and ask ‘Does this sound too aggressive?’ or ‘What am I missing from this proposal?’
- ✅ In Sheets, always check formulas Gemini generates against your actual data — test with known values first
- ✅ The Gemini sidebar stays open across all your tabs — no need to re-open it every time
If you write the same type of email regularly (project updates, client check-ins, invoice follow-ups), save a Gemini prompt that generates your template. It’s faster than finding an old email to copy from.
Gemini Advanced + Gemini in all Google Workspace apps + 2TB Google storage for $19.99/month. The best bundle if you use Google Workspace daily.